Your most common fitness questions answered
Do you wish your gym came with a user-friendly instruction manual? This Valentine’s Day I’m going to draw back my bow and shoot you straight with the answers to the most asked fitness questions.
Do you wish your gym membership came with a user-friendly instruction manual? Call me Cupid, because this Valentine's Day I'm going to draw back my bow and shoot you straight with the answers to commonly asked fitness questions. So nix that sampler box of Godiva chocolates, toss those snot soaked tissues from your back-to-back Nicholas Sparks marathon, and prepare to start loving yourself this February 14th. Here's the short and sweet on your top Q&A's this week:
Change of Pace: Why You Have Stopped Seeing Results.
Is your body exercising on cruise control? If so, it is time to switch gears. While you should be proud of the time you are putting in at the gym, you are going to hit what I refer to as the "Uh-oh Plateau," if you burden your body with boredom. Your body is a machine and craves variety. If I ate corned beef on rye everyday - and I love corned beef on rye - I'd start to crave a taste bud curveball pretty quickly (and an economy sized pack of Rolaids). As with most things in life, it is important to switch it up in order to keep your body guessing. Monotony breeds bad results after extended periods of time. If you run five miles every single day, then hit those breaks, brother! Your body will expect this workout, and as a result will not gain the benefits. Consider running once or twice a week and implementing interval and resistance training on your days off the track.
Rage Against the Machine: Choosing the Right Equipment.
The hardest step in any workout is the first one out the door. You've dodged doggie do-do, out maneuvered maniacs behind the wheel and you even found a way to avoid the stop-and-chat with an ex in your route to the gym. Now that you have arrived, you want to ensure that you make the most of your time here. The fitness floor is like a cardio carnival; however, it can seem like a little house of horrors when deciding which machine to mount. Give a little love to the machine that needs and deserves it most - the rowing machine. Intimidation tends to keep exercisers at bay from this cardio-crushing, endurance-enhancing, muscle-boosting beast. The rowing machine has the potential to pack the hardest weight-loss punch due to its ability to recruit an extensive number of muscles in the body. While rowing may seem like an exercise that strictly supports upper body strength, the core and legs are the powerhouse muscles being worked hard here. As always, seek professional guidance from a personal trainer before setting sail on your rowing machine.
Race Against Time: Conquer Your Cluttered Calendar.
The most common roadblock on the highway to health is lacking adequate time for exercise. While you may be a busy bee, the real sting will come from not making enough time for yourself. If you want to get in shape, stop with the excuses, take Nike's advice and "Just Do It." You can either squeeze in time to exercise or spend your time squeezing into those jeans. Here are a few fit tips:
Counter Attack - Next time you are waiting around for your Sloppy Joe meat to be sloppified, use a stable countertop to perform 3 sets of 15 pushups.
Pencil Pusher - Throughout the day, stand up from that sedentary position at your desk and do 3 sets of 25 squats. When completed, sit back down and extend your legs for 20 repetitions, 3 times. If you want to get really crazy, throw a couple calf raises in, as well.
Walk This Way - If you get an hour lunch break, spend half of it walking the steps in your building, or going for a brisk walk outside. Trust me, the sweat you accumulate during this will look much sexier than the sweat mustache that formed on your upper lip while you were demolishing your not-so-Happy Meal.
Commercial Break - If you opted out of the gym to watch an awkward, prepubescent thirteen year old sing a pitchy version of "My Heart Will Go On," on American Idol, then for the love of those love handles, do as many jumping jacks as possible during each commercial break. Another option is to make a game out of your workout. Every time Keith Urban makes you feel uncomfortable, or does something questionable - like strum an air guitar to someone's vocals, tear up from a moving performance or accidentally fall off his chair (all of the above have occurred regularly), do a sixty-second plank. Maybe throw a tomato at your screen as well - just a suggestion.
While there are many factors and uncertainties that go along with getting fit, don't ever question your ability to conquer your goals.
Earn it.
Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.